Alabama Policy Institute (API) President Stephanie Smith joined ALCAP President Greg Davis on Priority Talk to share about how API has established their Alabama Department of Government Efficiency (ALDOGE) to identify ways that our state government can be more efficient in its taxing and spending policies.
She said that President Donald Trump and Elon Musk brought certain ideas with them into Trump’s second term to make the federal government more efficient and cut down on federal spending. API has been championing many of these similar ideas in Alabama for decades, long before these measures became recently popular at the national level.
In her words: “My thought process was ‘if there was an ALDOGE, it’s already us.'”
Thus, ALDOGE was born at API. It’s already consistent with their core identity, and it has been further honed for today’s world in Alabama. It also allows for public input, in case concerned citizens see areas of government that can be improved regarding efficiency.
Stephanie Smith mentioned that, while state inefficiency will naturally not be as great as the federal government, there still is work that needs to be done.
However, she also praised Alabama legislators for their budgeting skills over the last 5 years. Money has been put away for a rainy day; Alabama has savings for “if and when the economy goes south.” Despite this, it should be noted that the government cannot make any money that is its own. All government money is from the taxpayer, including tax money that has been “saved.” It could be argued that the money should never have left the taxpayer in the first place.
Greg Davis and Stephanie Smith mentioned how some in today’s Republican Party have left the tenets of fiscal conservatism. Now, it is sometimes seen as a positive when the budget grows and more money is spent. They discussed the need to find a balance between a overspending on one side and not funding necessary programs that help people on the other.
To listen to their entire conversation, visit here.